Shafting cleaner



Feb. 5 1924. l

L. l. YEOMANS SHAFTING CLEANER Filed Nov. 5. 1920 1,482,775 ATENT OFFICE.,

LUCIEN I. YEOMANS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO PIONEER PRODUCTION COMPANY, OFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SHAFIING CLEANER.

Application filed November 5, y1920. Serial No. 421,871.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, LUCIEN I. YEoMANs,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shafting Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to shafting cleaners and has for its object the provision of means for automatically cleaning power transmission or other revolving shafting.

It is the common practice in hanging line shafting for power transmission to suspend the shafting from overhead building structure where it is removed from ready accessibility. Its usual location makes manual cleaning inconvenient and costly, and without cleaning, the shafting accumulates an un-. sightly and unsanitary deposit of dirt upon its revolving surface. It is the primary object of this invention to provide means for automatically preventing such accumulation of dirt on the shafting.

A further object is to provide such means in a simple construction, cheap to manufacture and readily assembled on any shafting, and continuous and noiseless in its operation. I attain these objects vby constructing an an- 'nular device of narrow cross section which may be assembled about the shaft and which is adapted to roll upon the rotating surface of the shaft. The inner diameter of the device being greater than the diameter'of the shaft, the device when assembled about a 35 horizontally hung shaft is in contact therewith at yone point only. A slight current of air, irregularity in the surface of the rotating shaft or contact with a hanger or pulley will deflect the device from a perpendicular 40 relation and cause it to travel longitudinally of the shaft, describing an irregular spiral path. By providing a recess in the inner periphery of the device and a filling therein of suitable material, such as felt, I utilize the longitudinal movement of my device toV The soft material also vention, but it is to be understood that in the' erably assembled. Figs. l and 5 illustrate modifications of the construction shown in Fig. 2. Fig, 6 illustratesa modified form of fastening means for holding the parts in assembled position.

.Referring now to Fig. 1,' the numeral ll indicates in cross section a portion of line shafting on which is mounted my device 1ndicated generallyA at 2. In my preferred construction, the device comprises two pairs of.

complementary semi-circular members indicated at 3 and 4, and 5 and 6 respectively, each pair being assembled end to end with its joints overlapping the center portion of the opposite pair. Each member has a transverseV slot 7 located near each end and a pair of slots 8 located at its center portion, the slots being so positioned that those of one pair register with the slots of the other pair when assembled. The members are secured in assembled position by means of fas-y teners 9` of sheet metal formed in the shape of a T, their free ends being inserted through the registered slots and clinched.

Each member is .dished along its inner periphery l() so that when assembled the pairs of members form an annular recess ll about the inner periphery in which is packed felt, or other fibrous material, extending slightly outward from the recess as at l2 to make contact with the surface of the shafting when in operation.` Preferably, the inner edges of the members forming the recess ll are turned convergently, as at 11a. The inturned edges assure the retention of the' fibrous filling packed in the recess, and reduce the bearing surface to a narrow strip which 'increases the tendency of the cleaner to travel longitudinally of the shaft.

The device being constructed in sections, it may be readily installed by simply assembling` the parts about a shaft.

My device also may be constructed in llt) modified form without the dish in the members, by form-ing the latterl of flat sheet material as indicated by numerals la and 51L (Fig. 5), and int-reducing a sheet of felt 12 or similar material between the members for their entire Width, with a margin of the felt protruding from their inner peripheries.

In my preferred embodiment, l have constructed the arcuate members from sheet metal, but l find that good results may be obtained by constructing` the members ofV sheet fibre as, illustrated at ab and 5b (Fig.l 4t), ivithout the intermediate packing'of felt. ln this embodiment the inner peripheries of the libre members bear directly upon the surface ofthe shaft.

l? n iay also dispense with the independent fasteners and secure the members in y assembled position as illui-itrated in Fig. 6 by striking up at the center of each member a pa--ir of integral tongues 13 which engage with and may be clinched through slots 14 in the ends of the complementary pair of members.

ltavill nonv be apparent that l have provided a continuously effective means for automatically cleaning shafting, which is simple in construction, cheap to manufacture and noiseless in operation.

l claim as my invention:

l. ln a device of the class described, a

bod i aortion havin@ anooe'nino' through which shaft is adapted toeXte'nd. fibrous surface surrounding said opening, said surface being adapted for wiping engagei'nent with the shaft to clean the same upon rota'- tion thereof.

2. ln a device of thel class described, a sectionalized body portion defining an opening through Which a shaft is adapted to extend, a fibrous surface surrounding said opening, said surface being adapted for wiping engagement With the shaft to clean the same upon rotation thereof.

8. A1 shafting cleaner comprising a plurality of segmental elements having arcuate inner peripheries of thin cross section and adapted to be assembled about a substantially horizontal shaft with their said peripheries continuously oined to form a ring of substantially greater inner diameter than said shaft, said ring being adapted to revolve inV rolling engagement with the upper surface of said shaft and being capable of swinging away from perpendicular-relation to said shaft thereby tending to travel longitudinally thereupon. f

t. A device for cleaning shafting comprising, in combination, an annul'us adapted to be mounted about a rotary shaft and having its inner diameter greater than that of said, shaft, a radial recess of narrow cross section formed in the inner periphery of said annulus, and a filling of resilient material carried in said recess, said filling having rolling contact with said shaft at one point only and tending to describe an oscillatory spiral path thereon by the deflection of said annulus from perpendicular relation to said shaft.

5. A shafting cleaner comprising a plurality of segmental elements of sheet material having arcuate inner peripheries of like radius and assembled in the form of a laminated ring adapted to freely surround a rotary shaft, a filling of fibrous material secured between the laminationsy of'said ring, and means for detachably'f sec-ruing together said segments and filling.`

(l, A shafting cleaner comprising a pair of like sectional rings of sheet material detachably secured in concentric relation, the inner opening of said rings being adapted to encircle and be suspended upon a rotary shaft of` less diameter, said rings being oppositely dished about their inner periplieries to form an annular recess therebetn-'eemand a filling of fibrous material secured in said recess and extending outwardly therefrom to engage said shaft. n

7. A device of the class described comprising overlapping semi-circular sections of like dimensions assembled to form an annulus, said sections having slot-s to receive fastening devices adapted to detz'ichably secure said sections together.y

8'. A devicefor cleaning shafting comprising-'two pairs of similar elements adapted to/be assembled in overlapping relation surrounding a revolving shaft and having the opening for receiving said shaft of substantia-lly greater areathan the cross sectionv of the shaft, the endsof each pair of said? elements abutting-intermediatelyofl the ends ofv the other pair ofel'ements and each pair having slots formed therein registering with slots r'harmed in the oppositev pair, and a plu-- rality of fasteners removably engaging said slots to secure said elements in assembled position.

9.` In a device ofthe class described, a body portion comprising a; pair of sectionalized plates defining an opening through Which a shaft is adapted to extend, said plates`;having cooperating slots and tongues for detachably securing them together, and

a fibrous surface for wiping engagement with and longitudinal movement along the shaft to clean the same.

ln testimony whereof, l1 have hereuntoset my hand. y

LCIEN l. YEOMANS. 

